C. Hay Murray 
295 
sketch, is much less in breadth, and instead of being flattened is rather 
conical (Fig. 24). This segment has, at the left, a very deep lateral 
notch in which the major part of the penis lies concealed. Since this 
organ projects forwards so as to overlap segment seven, the posterior 
left lateral corner of that segment has been recessed to receive its tip. 
The structure of the penis will be dealt with when describing the male 
reproductive organs. 
The anus of the male is surrounded by a chitinous ring and is slightly 
to the left in position, and not in the middle line. 
The male bug has its anal bristles made up of the two types, the 
simple being outnumbered by the serrated. Here, as in the female, the 
bristles are much longer than elsewhere, the serrated being specially 
robust. 
Alimentary System. 
When the bug is about to feed it walks in a very peculiar jerky 
manner, quite different from its usual method of progression, and 
carries the proboscis at right angles to the body, evidently using the 
sensory tip to locate a suitable spot, on finding which, it begins to 
drive the stylets into the flesh. Reasoning from a structural point of 
view the writer believes that the following is possibly the method bv 
which the stylets are made to penetrate. The head is alternately moved 
close to, and further away from the skin, and the insect is seen to tremble 
all over until evidently the suctorial tube has reached the required depth. 
As the united mandibles project at the tip a little beyond the maxillae 
(Fig. 8), they would first pierce the flesh. During the downward pres¬ 
sure which, from the trembling referred to, would seem to be relatively 
great, the stylet tube will be hard up against the “ bottle-rim ” chitinous 
ring at the apex of the crop, while the lab rum, being pressed down¬ 
wards, will prevent the stylets from springing at the bend (Fig. 12). 
Thus the power is applied vertically, and so the mandibles are forced 
through the skin. Possibly they may be helped by a see-saw movement 
similar to that of the maxillae, which are toothed in such a way as 
to keep the tip from being easily withdrawn (Fig. 8), although there is 
not much resistance to their insertion. Assuming that the mandibles 
work alternately, and a little ahead of the maxillae, the wound would 
thus be deepened for further penetration by the maxillae. There 
would seem to be some evidence that the sucking action of the crop 
commences early in the operation, as air can be seen through the chitin 
of the body wall to collect in the stomach, and this points to suction 
